Given the current economic climate, many employers are reformulating their businesses or are aiming to cut costs, which may give rise to more cases of proposed redundancies. We discuss how affected employees can best navigate these uncertain times. A redundancy situation is rarely welcomed by both employers and employees; they can represent financial hardship, both for employers struggling with profitability, and the inevitable direct impact on individual employees and their families ...
On April 21, 2021, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments in Minerva Surgical, Inc., v. Hologic, Inc., et al., Case No. 20-440, concerning whether to limit, abolish, or uphold the doctrine of assignor estoppel. The doctrine of assignor estoppel, generally stated, prevents an inventor who assigns his patent from later challenging its validity ...
A patent has the attributes of intangible personal property - it can be sold or mortgaged; it may be bequeathed by a will; and it may pass to the heirs of a deceased patentee. The patent law provides for the transfer or sale of a patent, or of an application for patent, by an instrument in writing. An assignment is such an instrument and may transfer the entire interest or a partial interest in the patent ...
Introduction The sphere of asset tracing and recovery, particularly the extent of tools available around the world, is rightly attracting more attention in cross-border fraud and investigations. This includes projects at the international level, such as UNCITRAL's ongoing efforts (for which the author acts as an expert), as well as attention being given in national legislatures around the world ...
Disputes arising from an employer’s failure to promote an employee have become an established feature in South African workplaces, especially in the public sector. They have also been the subject of a large number of arbitrations by virtue of the provisions of section 186 (2)(a) of the Labour Relations Act, 1995 (“LRA”). This section provides that the definition of an unfair labour practice includes unfair conduct by an employer relating to the promotion of an employee ...
Contents Risk analysis in an evolving market Complex fund structures Typical structures in our jurisdictions Legal perspective Waiver of commitments Market risk Competition in the market Concentration risk Liquidity risk ESG risks Conclusion Risk analysis in an evolving market Despite being a relatively long-standing lending product, there have been limited public payment defaults by funds in the fund finance space ...
This article has been published in PLI Chronicle. The market for consumer products derived from cannabis and its components, including cannabidiol (CBD), is exploding. U.S. sales of CBD products is expected to exceed $20 billion by 2024, up from just $1.9 billion in 2018. TheCBD market is expected to develop across diverse industries such as cosmetics and skin care, health products, food and beverage, pet products, and pharmaceuticals ...
We have already entered a state of emergency pursuant to the Decree issued by the President of Romania imposing a state of emergency on the territory of Romania, published in the Official Gazette Part I no. 212 on March 16th, 2020 (the “Decree”), and we can already see the changes and reactions triggered by this situation. The state of emergency proclaimed for a period of 30 days starting from March 16th, 2020 has a far-reaching impact in all domains ...
Aspects of Application of Period of Limitation in Promissory Note and Bill of Exchange Matters In recent years, a substantial growth of the bill of exchange and promissory note circulation has been observed in Ukraine. To a considerable extent, this growth was fostered by the expansion and normalization of the regulatory framework for negotiable instruments ...
SyCipLaw Partner Rose Marie M. King-Dominguez and Senior Associate Franco Aristotle G. Larcinacontributed to the Philippine section of the Asia-Pacific Property Investment Guide, a publication produced by Ashurst Australia and Jones Lang LaSalle ...
SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan contributed to the Philippines section of Asia Pacific Property Investment Guide, a publication produced by Ashurst - Singapore and Jones Lang LaSalle ...
In its flagship report entitled Global Economic Prospects released in January, the World Bank observed: “The Philippines is particularly weak with regard to transport and trade-related infrastructure … with particularly low rankings for the quality of its seaports and airports. About one-quarter of the population remains without electricity.” Yet growth in the Philippines is projected to accelerate to 6 ...
Asbestos was used extensively in UK commercial and residential buildings in the 20th century, primarily for insulation, flooring and roofing, as well as being sprayed on ceilings and walls. On health grounds, the UK banned the use and import of all asbestos in November 1999. The House of Commons DWP Select Committee recently conducted an inquiry into the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) approach to asbestos management ...
The issue of the jurisdiction of the South African Advertising Standards Authority (“ASA”) to determine matters involving individuals and companies that don’t belong to the body has now been resolved by an agreement that has been made an order of the Supreme Court of Appeal in the case of Advertising Standards Authority v Herbex (Pty) Ltd ...
There’s a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the South African Advertising Standards Authority (“ASA”) right now. This is important for IP owners because the ASA has become a significant forum for deciding what are essentially trade mark or passing off-type disputes ...
There are three possible courses of action in this situation. These are: Derivative action A derivative action is brought under common law by a member on behalf of a company in respect of a wrong done to that company. Remedies awarded are for the benefit of the company. Derivative actions are an option where the company itself could sue and there has been a fraud on the minority, illegality or a failure to approve a matter by the members passing an appropriate resolution ...
In April last year, companies were given greater flexibility in protecting their directors against certain liabilities as a result of changes to the law. The changes recognised increasing concern over directors' exposure to liability arising from legal proceedings brought by third parties. The Companies Actprohibits a company from exempting directors in respect of liability if negligent, in default or in breach of duty or trust ...
Legal Property Due Diligence In a property transaction, whether that is buying, leasing, or financing, a legal property due diligence exercise may be required to assess the potential risk to a client before committing to the transaction. The potential for AI to be used to review and digest legal property DD documentation with speed and accuracy is clear ...
At a time when some are demanding that artificial intelligence (AI) research and advanced systems development be temporarily suspended and others want to close Pandora?s box, it is appropriate to ask what effect chat technology (ChatGPT, Bard and others) will have on businesses and workplaces. Some companies support its use, others prohibit it, but many have yet to take a stand. We believe that all companies should adopt a clear position and guide their employees in the use of such technology ...
Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionising the global real estate landscape. In the United States alone, AI companies are predicted to have a 1.6m sq m real estate footprint by the end of 2023, according to JLL ...
Over the past few months, our Legal Lab on Artificial Intelligence (L3AI) team has tested a number of legal solutions that incorporate AI to a greater or lesser extent. According to the authors Remus and Levy1, most of these tools will have a moderate potential impact on the legal practice. Among the solutions tested by the members of our laboratory, certain functionalities in particular drew our attention ...